The Seed of Time
by Illuminatedessence
Summary: Perhaps that dulled ache of wondering where they were is what kept her from dying. She was afraid of death,and what was more- she wanted to live for them. Content implies certain themes.


Feelings surely fester over the years, like an old wound that's been rubbed in with salt or acid. The stinging only increasing the pain, only intensifying the emotional scars as time goes on. No one would have thought that those wounds would be anything but a memory. A reminder of sorts. However, that wasn't Haruno Sakura. Rage built in her stomach every time she paused long enough to think of it. Her breath came short, eyes blurred and stung and a sort of dullness filled her. That sort of helplessness you find when you know you can't do anything. Nothing. Especially when everyone has moved on. When life has thrown so much at a person that they barely have time to reminisce or process the hurt that is in their heart. Not their heart, really. It's deeper. It's somewhere that doctors can't reach, that you can't dig out. She'd tried, on several occasions.

* * *

_ Blood seeped from clutched fingers, the panting and sounds of dripping intermingled and ech_oed_ against her eardrums. The pain intensified and it was then that Sakura realized that she didn't want to die. She couldn't very well _heal _herself. No. Her chakura had depleted. She'd have to face her shame, or lie. Too tired to lie, the girl trudged to the closest door, barely making it downstairs. After that, she held no memory of stumbling out her own apartment building. No memory of collapsing in the street, where several civilians ran to help, and others watched in speculation, eyes silently judging, criticizing and scrutinizing her._

Hours, maybe even a day or two later- Sakura regained consciousness and looked around. Eyes sunken and pale, green orbs dimly taking in surroundings. No one was in the room, but she could hear beeping, feel an ache.. Remembering what happened, her head slipped back under the pillow. "Pathetic." That was the word she whispered. Then, there was a rasped laughter, the bile and smell of her own rancid breath making the bitter laugh die.

She'd been discharged after several days of suicide watch. Depression pills, mental help and shoulders were offered. Though, that wasn't what she wanted. She realized that she'd been afraid of death. It wasn't time for her to die. She just didn't want to deal with those scars that kept tearing, festering. Making her sleepless, making her helpless.

* * *

It had been months since that time, and even months before that when the incident happened. The boy she'd come to care for, he'd grown hard. He'd died before her eyes, along with the need for revenge with Sasuke. They'd learned the truth. The conspiracy of Itachi and the Elders. What they'd _done_. There was a mutiny, Sasuke, Naruto..Her. They'd directed their anger towards that. It was then that she'd learned she was pregnant. With Sasuke's baby or Naruto's, she wasn't certain. She never would be. However, as anticipated, she'd been taken hostage when labor came, swiped from the hospital as if she'd never been there to begin with. Instead of killing her and the children, the shinobi took her child. Children, to be precise. Triplets. She'd been too drugged to protect herself, and she hardly remembered the birth of them. She remembered flashes of gold smeared red, and black as well. Later, she'd learned that two eggs had been inseminated, one split. Two were Sasuke's, one was Naruto's.

The boys knew. She'd made no commitment to either. They'd wondered who would be the father, but never suspected both. They never seemed to care. It was an adult decision, and they'd been brash. Near death experience with Naruto. Only hours before that, angst and frustration with Sasuke. Naruto hadn't planned to sleep with her. It was a desperate attempt to calm himself with the grips of reality. Sakura told him to pretend it was Hinata he was holding, and he said the same for her about Sasuke.

They all were tense after the following months, not about the kidnapping, but whether the children were alive.. Whether Sakura was alive. When they found her, infected from no sterilization-laying half dead at the village gates, they cried. There were no children crying with her. Now it'd been nearly a year since that time. Sakura had recovered in terms of physical health, though her body still seemed ragged and tired, but her mental condition was worse. People though ill of her, some thinking she'd killed her own children out of fear.

People thought her sick, knowing she may have had both Naruto and Sasuke's children. She hadn't given them a single inch of her time over it. Her distraught mind was over that of her children. She'd been too weak to protect them during labor, and the shinobi that were supposed to protect her at the hospital, were dead.

Naruto and Hinata were pregnant with one of their own, Hinata unfazed by the news that had happened. She loved Naruto, and understood the situation. Sasuke went off for months at a time, trying to find his children. Trying to get leads as to where their babies were. People spoke of sightings, always just out of reach. It'd be nearly two years before Sakura saw the faces of her children again.

Sasuke stayed for Sakura. There had been _no _commitment implied with their fornication. However, an Uchiha never had a fling, and if he did, no one was to ever know about it. He had decided the Haruno best suited for his wife, had come to love her. They strove to find their children, Naruto helping as well. They were as much his, as they were theirs.

* * *

It was a starry night, muddy from three days' worth of rain. Kanoha had ninja in an area not far from where the trio were searching. There was a message sent via hawk, and when the three came to the area, dead rouges held precious cargo. The babies had been smeared with the dirt and mud, much like when they were smeared with blood when Sakura first met them. Her wails were as loud as theirs, and she held them, rocking her and themselves.

Six years later, Okin, Mirai and Shiubi played in the Uchiha compound. Okin and Mirai inherited the Sharingan while Shiubi inherited some of the kyuubi chakura and Uzumaki blood. Green irises glared at Okin, Shiubi angry that Okin had taken his plastic kunai. Some of his hair glinted red in the sunlight, Sakura's traits showing wildly in the boy. The only girl, Mirai, stood and tried to calm the two. From a distance, Sasuke watched, amused. "They're a lot like we were as children." Sakura nodded, her hand on the swollen belly she was burdened with. "Ah. Their brother or sister will have to strive hard to keep up, hm?" Sasuke shook his head, a hand coming up to scratch at his chin. "Perhaps not. It doesn't seem that they're as competitive. At least, not in the desperate sense that we were."

* * *

**A/N: Alright. This didn't make much sense to all of you, obviously. It was more abstract than normal. It was short, too. I could have made it longer, and upon any requests, I'll make another story. Actually, I am taking requests for another story. I don't normally do over twenty chapters, but if I find the topic interesting enough.. I'll give it a try. I haven't written in a while, and I wasn't focusing merely on the sexual content. I was focusing on life. Years can be spent wasted and emotions become twisted, no longer identifiable. If you didn't like it, I understand. Reviews are welcome, however, if you don't have grammar and are bashing me on my writing.. I will automatically consider you a dunce and move on with my day/night. G'night, loves.**


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